Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've encountered some difficult decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am accountable for numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what now might be the toughest selection I've faced in interactive media — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You must walk around a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all stems from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail named The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps instead and get to the top in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified striving just to prove a point?

The steps, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about creating doubt anytime you find a gift horse. The game world contains design traps that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Could the steps one more trick? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be let down by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as able as anyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the stairs too. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no real catch in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip completely down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

My Choice

During my game, I selected the steps. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call